Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

Lily Ledbetter worked for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company for almost 20 years between 1979 and 1998. Throughout the majority of her time as a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company employee, she and others who worked for the company were denied or given salary increases based on their supervisor's evaluations of their performance on the job.

In July of 1998, Ledbetter filed a formal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) stating she had been a victim of sexual discrimination during the majority of the course of her employment with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and subsequently filed a lawsuit claiming salary discrimination under Title VII.

The Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. lawsuit presented the Supreme Court with the challenge of considering the time limitations previously established within Title VII of the Civil Rights Act which states a plaintiff must file suit regarding sexual discrimination claims within 180 days of the incident. Although Ledbetter and her attorneys argued that each paycheck she received was less than that of her male colleagues and less than she should have received for her performance throughout her almost 20 year career, the Court rejected their argument and upheld the statute of limitations necessitating the filing suit within 180 days, as stated within the Title VII Civil Rights Act. The Court also considered, in Goodyear's favor, the dates of discriminatory acts as alleged by Ledbetter were for the most part prior to her filing of her complaint with the EEOC.

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